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Friday, August 27, 2010

At long last, the seemingly interminable run of India-Sri Lanka matches, starting from the Asia Cup in 2008, will come to an end on Saturday. However, the bowler-friendly conditions in Dambulla have made it difficult to predict how even these most familiar of opponents will match up.

Sri Lanka, almost at full strength, probably have the edge, as their batting hasn't had the embarrassing collapses India have. India, though, have shown the happy knack of raising their game for the finals of tournaments in Sri Lanka, winning two titles over the past year, despite looking second-best in the league phase. More update please visit here.

Broad and Trott lead the players off to a standing ovation from the Lord's crowd, bathed in sunshine - this is a really special moment. A day of irresistible, fluctuating Test cricket. England were down and out after Amir's stunning new-ball spell but Trott battled hard and found a partner, first in Prior and then, remarkably with Broad, who was prepared to fight with him. From the moment he came to the crease Broad batted with complete clarity and conviction to record his first Test hundred.

Just an unbelievable day really and the scorecard has to rank as the most bonkers scorecard since this. The game is actually set up very well now, under cloudless skies the pitch is very quiet but when the dank rolls over the ball moves round corners, Pakistan will feel completely buried after suffering through that unbeaten 244 stand but the England total is not yet insurmountable. More update please visit here.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

The first match of Sri Lanka Triangular Series is scheduled in between India and New Zealand today at Dambulla on 10 August 2010 - day/night (50-over match) .

Time for Yuvraj to turn the clock back

At his best in limited-overs matches, Yuvraj Singh gives Indian fans and the dressing room a feeling of assurance few others can, and that is the reason he is integral to the country's dreams of a World Cup victory at home.

A case in point is India's ill-fated campaign to defend their World Twenty20 crown in 2009. Having entered the tournament as one of the hot favourites, with the country's love affair with the newest format burgeoning, India were staring at a humiliating early elimination during the second Super Eights game against England at Lord's. The top-order was floundering to a bouncer barrage and after the youngsters, Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma, fell cheaply, Gautam Gambhir and Ravindra Jadeja poked and plodded at one-day pace. With the asking rate touching double-digits and the title defence in tatters, Yuvraj walked out in the 11th over and gloriously lofted his first ball for a huge six, the first of the innings. There was another nonchalant hit for six more before a brilliant, quicksilver stumping from James Foster ended his 14-minute stay. India went on to lose but for those 14 minutes, irrespective of the odds, fans believed victory was possible. Please visit here for more update.

Saturday, August 7, 2010

The final day of the Test series lived up to its billing with India emerging victorious in a gripping contest to level the series and confound those who had doubted their depleted line-up. VVS Laxman battled the pressure and an injured back and, with support from Sachin Tendulkar and Suresh Raina, countered a probing spell from Suraj Randiv and reached his 16th century to seal a memorable victory against the odds - India's fourth-highest successful chase in Tests.

India needed a recovery each time Laxman stepped out to bat this series, and he delivered once again in what appeared to be his most comfortable outing in a situation that was perhaps the most challenging. The nerves of a tough chase were more evident in his partners, who offered chances and survived moments of edginess, as opposed to Laxman, around whose solidity his team's hopes centered. Get more update please visit here..

Friday, August 6, 2010

Salman Butt has taken the brave decision to put his brittle batting line-up into the firing line straight away at Edgbaston after winning the toss on a cloudy morning. As revealed yesterday evening Mohammad Yousuf doesn't make the starting XI after his dash from Pakistan while Kamran Akmal has been dropped.

England, meanwhile, have had far fewer concerns and as expected have named an unchanged team with Andrew Strauss not overly worried about bowling first. He expects some help for his in-form pace attack - including James Anderson playing his 50th Test - on a ground where England have often excelled, although there will be less support than normal as half the venue is currently a building site.

The build-up to this Test has been dominated by the will-he, won't-he guessing game surrounding Yousuf's hasty call-up to the squad. In the end he didn't feel ready to come straight into a Test so Pakistan's batting line-up contains the same personnel as last week although they have juggled the order with Shoaib Malik moving to No. 4.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Thilan Samaraweera was unshakeable amid testing spells from Ishant Sharma and Pragyan Ojha to help Sri Lanka consolidate the dominant position they had reached on the opening day. India needed some quick wickets to give themselves a chance on a more competitive pitch, but were denied by a solid performance that took Samaraweera to his 12th Test century.

Samaraweera's innings displayed an excellent grasp of the pitch that aided movement as well as turn. He played the ball late, spotted the lengths early and, against the spinners, was adept in his footwork and confident in defence, rarely failing to pick their variations or gauge the extent of turn. And he was opportunistic, dispatching those deliveries that were pitched short. He began with a slash over gully off a wayward Abhimanyu Mithun that just evaded Virender Sehwag, and pulled him again to fine leg. He struck his fifth four off Amit Mishra when gifted a long-hop, punched Ojha through the covers and reached his century with a nudge to the leg side. The comfort with which he batted was a contrast to the struggles of his partners.

Friday, July 30, 2010

The second day at Trent Bridge was James Anderson's 28th birthday, and it began for him in a somewhat lugubrious fashion. Before the start of play he was serenaded by his tuneless team-mates and presented with a cupcake by two of the press photographers, a pair of gestures that left him more bemused than touched. His mood had not improved by the time Mohammad Asif pinned him lbw for a first-ball duck - his second in four home Tests and, after a memorable run of 54 duckless innings from his debut in 2003, his third blob in the space of 11 months.